Atlantis: The King's Crystal
by Link The Hero of Light
Summary: Milo decides to stay in Atlantis to help restore the culture and history of the lost kingdom. When myth meets reality, a spark of courage is all it takes to create a legend.
1. Rise From The Waters

**Inspiration: Kida Returns Score by James Newton Howard.**

**Disclaimer****: Rights go to Disney. Image rights go to Simpsonsquire on DA.**

**_"Everything happens for a reason, even the bad."_**

Kida floated gently down into his arms. The crystal had given back it's host. Her skin had paled to a bronze. With the mists from the colliding water and lava, it was the closest thing to heaven that he had ever come across. "Milo?" Kida stirred in his arms that were still cut, burned and bruised from the battle with Rourke. Her blue eyes locked on his and everything around them disappeared. A strange feeling of warmth grew in my chest.

Kida looked at something in her hand. It was a small band of gold with a pink jewel set in the center with a smaller blue gem on each side. "Mahtim." Kida whispered. _"Mother." _Somehow, someway the crystal had given her something of her mother's. Wordlessly Kida threw her arms around him and he held her. His heart grew warm.

As the steam cleared, he saw a beautiful sight. The ruins that had so long been underwater were exposed to the open air. He broke the hug and motioned her to look at the New Atlantis that the crystal had uncovered. Aqueducts led from the heart of Atlantis to the edges of the kingdom, ending just short of the final waterfall. Temples and larger buildings dotted the water. It had been left in ruins by the millennia underwater, but the adventurers, the Atlantians and one cartographer and expert in gibberish saw it as it could be.

It would take a lot of work, but restoring the beauty of Atlantis would be worth it. Kida's hand brushed against his and he held it. _"The old makes way for the new." _"Where is my father? He should hear about this." At Kida's words he felt like Rourke had just punched him again. He had no idea how to say it. She ran to the throne room before he could get a word in. He could never keep up with her.

When his parents died, it was grandpa that told him the news. Compared to the call from the hospital that his grandpa had passed, hearing it from a loved one was a bit more human than the call from the doctors who experienced death every day. Having a loved on nearby eased the pain.

He ran to catch up with her. The guards to the throne room where the same ones from before. "We are sorry Milo, we couldn't stop her. " He spoke in prefect english. From inside the throne room he heard something he had never heard before and hoped never to hear again. The sound of someone's heart breaking. A sound somewhere between a sob and a scream.

Kida was crying on her her knees next to her father's throne. "Tahbtoap." She croaked out the word over and over through her tears. I approached and waited, she didn't notice me. She was in so much pain and I wanted to comfort her somehow. I sat own next to her, she didn't notice. "Kida?" She looked up, her eyes red and face tearstained. I opened my arms. After a moments hesitation, she fell into them. "Let it out, you'll feel better if you let it out." I began rubbing her back.

Her sobbing eventually faded to be replaced by a gentle shaking. "Why did he leave me Milo? I am alone." "What about friends?" Her people loved her, surely she had friends. She looked down. "I have no friends, Milo. Only acquaintances." She wiped her eyes. "You are the first person I have felt close to." She looked away from him, ready to run again. "You must think I am weak." _How could she say that? _"You are the strongest person I have ever met, you'll do fine." She would need faith and support to get through this.

"And I'm not going anywhere." I had never really thought about what would happen next, he had only thought of finding Atlantis. Now, after seeing Rourke's greed, Atlantis would have to be kept hidden from the surface. The world would probably never be able to accept the fact that Atlantis wasn't a myth. I also had nothing except a boiler and a cat. Kida as well as the whole of Atlantis would need him. None of the Atlantians could read their own language.

Kida looked up shock written across her face. "You really mean that?" I nodded "Yes." She smiled. "I guess I should tell them, I am staying here." "Who?" She didn't notice my friends had joined me against Rourke. "Audrey, Sweet, Vinny, Mole, Packard and Cookie. They helped defeat Rourke, without them we wouldn't be here." Kida broke from his hug. "Feeling better?" "A little, thank you."

They greeted their friends on the steps leading from the throne room. Kida spoke first. "Atlantis owes you a debt of gratitude for your courage." "We were just doing the right thing, your Majesty." Sweet replied. "A few gold dollars would be nice, though." Cookie murmured. If Kida had heard she didn't give any sign. Her royal mask was in place.

"I have decided to stay in Atlantis." His decision didn't surprise anyone. "We kinda figured you would." Vinny said. "And we won't tell anybody except Mr. Whitmore about what happened here." "Thank you." Kida nodded. The sky had grown dark. The crew parted ways to rest up after the battle. Sweet stayed. "Princess Kida, the King said that he loved you, even in his last moments he had the faith that Milo would save Atlantis and you." Kida eyes turned misty. "Thank you for your kind words." "Your welcome."

After Sweet walked off, he looked at Kida. She was healing but it would take time. "I'll see you in the morning, Kida." She grabbed his arm. "Wait." On contact, he grimanced, some of the burns still stung from the lava and the heat of the pod that she was trapped in. She seemed to realize the extant of his wounds for the first time. "Your hurt." She took her crystal and passed it over my wounds. Praying in Atlantian as she did so. Now he just felt tired after the adrenaline of battle.

Kida smiled, her blue eyes sparkled. Then she blushed. "Milo, could you stay with me tonight?" "Wh What?" I stammered. "I just do'nt want to be alone." There was no saying no to the big blue eyes. I nodded too dazed to speak. She led me deeper inside the palace. Beyond the king's throne, a series of steps led up higher. For an indoor place, it felt airy. Kida's room overlooked Atlantis. Lights had been lit in the people's homes and along some of the paths. The crystal washed everything in a dim blue glow.

He turned aside as Kida undressed. He was fairly certain his face was red. "You can turn around now." Kida was wearing a light blue gown that went to her knees. It was almost like a greek chiton that he had seen some ancient greek statues and figures in pottery wear. He took off his shirt and left his boxers on. He looked at his flat chest and stomach. _"Nothing worth commenting on." _When he became Atlantian he would have to put on some muscle. _  
_

The bed was made for one person, so Kida slept on his chest. Silks and few pillows filled with wemot feathers lay on a type of hammock, cleverly strung up to make a kind of bed that seemed to float on air. "That crystal, where did you get it?" She asked the question from her resting position, her white hair steaming over to one side. "Your father gave it to me when he passed, saying that his burden was passed on to me. Her postion shifted slightly than relaxed. "He must've trusted you greatly Milo. My father and I had different ideas on what was right for Atlantis."

"It belongs to you now." He tried to take off the kings crystal, but Kida put her hand over his. "Milo, it belongs to you now." The king's crystal seemed to glow brighter. "I'm sorry, Kida. If I hadn't led Rourke to the crystal your father would still be alive." "Do'nt apologize, Milo. Meeting you was the best thing that ever happened to me." Kida sighed. "I just hope I am strong enough to assume the throne." I put one arm around her. "You will be strong enough Kida and I will be your side."Her breathing grew more relaxed, she had fallen asleep. With her scent of the waters of Atlantis and and the cool evening breeze his eyelids slowly closed.

Meanwhile in the crystal chamber the markings on the wall changed from blue to green, changing with the rhythm of a heartbeat. The colors and sound slowly vanished to be replaced by the sound of the water slowly lapping on the surface.

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	2. Goodbyes

**Inspiration: Plato's account of the Kings of Atlantis. **

**Discliamer****: Rights go to Disney.**

**"At every end, there is a new beginning."**

He awoke to a beautiful sight. Kida was still sleeping on his chest. She had a cute way of sleeping, in through the nose out through the mouth. I almost hated to wake her up. "Kida. wake up." He shook her slightly. She yawned and smiled sleepily. "Morning, Milo."

They got dressed for the day and I looked over the balcony. Everything seemed to be more healthier in a way. Blessed by the mother crysatal that hovered over the city like a sun. The sky was bright blue and laced with a few clouds. How the roof of the cavern was made to look as if they were still on the surface I didn't know. The boundary of the empire looked like mountains instead of a cliff wall. "It's beautiful isn't it?" Kida joined me on the balcony clad in her brightly colored sarong. "Not as beautiful as you." _"Did I just say that?" _Kida blushed slightly. "Thank you."

After a breakfast of assorted fruits and fish. Kida gave the word for her guards to bring up a portion of the royal treasure and seven crystals to be brought up. One for Mr. Whitmore, a piece of proof of the adventure that the old millionaire had set him on. The picture of his grandfather served as a letter, saying thanks from his grandfather and him.

"Atlantis will honor your names forever. I just wish there was more we could do for you." Kida placed a crystal around Vinney's neck. A few warriors were loading the treasure into the Nartak that would take his friends to the surface. The rest were a form of honor guard. "Thank's anyway, but ah...I think were're good." Vinny was almost less laid back than he was.

"They'll take you as far as the surface." "We are really going to miss you, Milo." Audrey had changed into the kind of person who was always ready to help out. Vinney gripped him. "You know, I think of ypou guys every single day, Monday through Friday, Saturday to two. Sunday I'll take...August? think I'll go with August." Vinney was still a florist at heart, besides his interest in making things go boom. "I'm not so good at speechifyin but I want you to have this." Cookie handed me a jar overflowing with grease."It the bacon grease from the whole trip." I was at a loss for words. "Cookie..." The old cowboy just walked off. No doubt that this stuff would keep, and keep and keep. Audery kissed me on the cheek. "Ah, ha two for flinching." She pushed my glasses back up. "See you, Milo."

A burrowing sound came from in front of him. Mole, the geologist came out of the ground. "Hey, Milo. Hah Ha!" The short guy through his arms wide as if for a hug. The buzzing flies around his head and the dirt kind of discouraged it. He chuckled. "Mole, well... wow." I decided to pat him on the head like a pet. "Goodbye Mole."

"You sure you want to stay I hear there will be a hero's welcome for the man who discovered Atlantis." Sweet had changed the least. The big doctor had even a bigger heart. "Ah, I do'nt think the world needs another hero. Besides, I hear there is an opening for an expert in gibberish."

Sweet stepped forward. "You take care of yourself, Milo Thacth." "You too, Sweet." I made to shake his hand but he engulfed me in hug that made my eyes want to pop out. "Come here!" I motioned to my neck, as it began to hurt again."Ah, Sweet ..Could you?" He put me down and cracked my neck. "No problem." "Thanks." Sweet chuckled,"Your getting a bill."

"Can we go home now?" Ms. Packard asked. She always treated it like a vacation. "Come on, y'all lets get one last shot in front of the fish." The explorers posed with their treasure. "Say Yockh." A guard was behind the camera. "Yockh!" The last picture was taken. "Before you go, could you give this to Mr. Whitmore?" Sweet took the package before heading up the ramp. "Sure thing, Milo." His friends departed into the sky, taking memories and photo's of the the greatest adventure of their lives.

"You miss them already do'nt you?" It was like Kida had read my mind. "A little. I admitted. "I am kind of worried about living down here though." Kida placed her hand over his. "You worry too much, Milo. I will talk to my father's council about your citzenship." We walked back into the throne room, two guards followed us. No guards had bothered us during the day we spent in Atlantis, but Kida was the princess then. With the death of her father, she would become queen, but it wasn't official yet.

Inside, a silk blanket had been placed over the king's body like a shroud. The Atlantian "A" symbol was on the front in gold thread. A meeting was going on, ten seats for the first ten Kings of Atlantis. The council was speaking in Atlantian, at the back of his mind he could hear the words being translated to English. Reading it was one thing, speaking it was another.

"There is nothing in our laws about an outsider becoming a citizen." An old man that looked about 65 said crossly. "You and your tradition I think you spend more time in a book and preaching it than in the real world." A older lady in green chition about 50 said from his right. Apparently, some Atlantian's still knew how to read. "He saved the entire city! What more do expect?" A young man from across the circle spoke. He wore only a bronze war kilt around his waist. "He also wears the King's Crystal, why the king decided to give it to him will remain a mystery to me."

Kida looked like she wanted to strangle them one at a time. He took a careful step back. "If this is the way you decide what is best for Atlantis, I will disband the council." They all went silent. "He isn't Atlantian, even though he saved the city and can read Atlantian...but he could take the challenge of Poseidon." Some of the councilors agreed to that. Except for the older lady and the man in the war kilt.

"Degim, Maylo-toap." The bronze kilted man greeted him with a firm handshake. "This is Theseus, the Armada's second in command." Kida introduced us. The Atlantian poked one of my arms. "Almost no muscle at all on this one. Well, your forehead sure is big enough." _"So I've been told." _ The older lady introduced herself. "My name is Miya, I've been the princess' guardian since she was born." The older woman was perched on the backs of her heels as if preparing to go hand to hand.

"How did you keep your ability to read a secret?" I asked. "We did have some close calls, but the King had more or less left the scrolls about law and tradition untouched. He did, however, manage to destroy every scroll about the history of Atlantis." Miya looked back at the shroud that covered the king. "He was a very stubborn man, in keeping our history a secret." "Which is where you come in." Theseus spoke. "Our history used to be underwater, now it is above the surface and we need somebody to write it down again."

"Why did you keep this a secret from me?" Kida asked. "The king would've probably thrown us into the fire, Your Majesty." Miya looked slightly uncomfortable. "You were always too curious for own good, so some of us had to play innocent that we knew nothing about our own language and some of us were teachers before the Great Flood ever happened." "Now you can teach again." I added.

"Yes, but somebody needs to explore the old ruins that used to be underwater and take notes." Miya gave me a pointed look. "What's the temple of Poseidon?" I asked. Theseus looked at me strangely."The temple of Poseidon is where a rite of passage takes place and it is always different for everybody. The first ten kings were all Poseidon's sons and the temple was built to honor him as their father."

Looking outside, I was surprised to see how fast the day had gone by. What passed for sunset down here had approached. "I sent for a servant to get you some robes, to get you started on becoming Atlantian. A servant will show you to your room." A girl of about 17 appeared behind Miya. "Theseus will show you out to the ruins tomorrow."

The servant girl led me by the hand. Theseus exited out the doors and Kida made to leave when Miya stopped her with a look. I was out of earshot when they started speaking. "You can call me Lily." The girl introduced herself. "Milo." She smiled at me. "Nice to meet you, Milo." She led me to the left floor of Kida's living space. A hammock had been strung up, with a thick cloth serving to provide privacy and could be opened to allow the palace air in. A set of plain blue robes with a sea green border was laid out.

"This is your new living space as requested by the Princess." _"Kida? Why would she want me this close by?" _The serving girl, Lily left before I could say anything. A plate of fruits had been left by the robes. _"Guess that's dinner." _The fruits were stuffed with what looked like fish meat. It was a bit chewier than fish though. Voices came through the divider when he was done and placed it on some kind of stone slab.

"I'm just saying the people will talk if they hear about this." Miya by the the sound of it. "My personal life is my own concern, not the people's." Kida. He would be able to distinguish that voice anywhere. "What you do will be what the people talk of and not to mention it was your father and mother that chose me to look after you, if they passed. You are to become Queen soon, and you know that if you don't choose a husband the council will choose one for you." Miya said in a louder tone.

"I haven't really thought about marriage and I don't want to marry a warrior, just someone with a good heart." Kida sighed and the voices grew quieter. He heard the sound of sheets being moved. "What about Milo?" His heart thudded in his chest. "I will admit he is handsome and has a good heart, but Atlantis needs a strong king and must be related to Poseidon some way, even my father was a descendant of one of the Ten Kings, and had proof of that line." Kida just admitted he was handsome and the thought made my face burn.

"That would leave Thesues as another choice for king." Miya seemed like a mother figure to Kida. "He is too prefect and I heard his only love is hunting." Kida sighed as if stressed by the expectations now on her shoulders. "Permission to speak freely, Your Majesty?" Miya asked. "I will never get used to that Miya, people calling me Your Majesty and you have always spoken freely to me."

"A little advice Kida-toap. Don't be afraid to let a man close to your heart see you with your hair down, figuratively speaking." "What?" Kida asked. "You know enjoy being a woman, have an excuse to show off your femininity." I had no doubt I was blushing at Miya's talk. "I showed Milo when we went swimming." Kida said haltingly. Miya laughed. "Now that's what I call showing off your desirability." Kida stuttered,"I-I just wanted to show him the buildings underwater."

"Whatever you say, Kida." The curtains were drawn closed and Miya walked off. I was too stressed to go to sleep. Hearing that discussion was not meant for his ears. Tossing and turning, more confused than ever about my feelings. Kida was too beautiful, strong and smart for a guy like me. _"You do swim, do you not?"_ My brain refused to work properly at the sight of Kida in her swimming outfit. Her curves were more revealed than ever. _"Oh, I swim pretty girl... pr-pretty good, pretty good. Sw... Good. Swim good. Pretty good. I swim pretty good." "Milo, you are such an idiot." _

This was going to be a long night.

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	3. Night Swim

**Inspiration: Secret Swim by James Newton Howard. "It is something that grows over time... a true friendship. A feeling in the heart that becomes stronger over time... The passion of friendship will soon blossom into a righteous power and through it, you will know which way to go..."-Shiek Ocarina of Time. **

**Rights go to Disney**

**"Sometimes you don't know what you have until it's gone." **

I was beginning to drift off, when Kida walked into my quarters. "Kida, what are you doing?" I almost fell out of bed from trying to contain my surprise. The crystal washed her in a dim blue light making her seem more beautiful. "I can't sleep and I was thinking that maybe we could see what the receding waters uncovered for a while?"

_"Was she asking me to accompany her?" _Before I could stop myself I said "Yes." Kida smiled an I felt as light as the air itself. She turned aside as I got dressed in my new clothes. It was more of a toga than anything, with a green border on the edges. I had taken my glasses off before going to bed. As I put them on my vision became blurry, when I removed them I could see normally. The crystal must have started to heal my eyes.

Kida smiled as she took in my new appearance. "You look very charming in those Milo. Without those mirrors in your eyes, they shine a bit brighter." Good thing it was dark so she didn't see me blush. "Thank you."

Kida led me to one of the bushes in the throne room. "Quickly, in here." she whispered as the guards were standing outside the door. Removing some of the branches, a hidden passage underneath came to light. We descended into the passageway, and the branches fell back into place. Our crystals began glowing brighter in response to the darkness.

The passage was made for one person, so we walked single file. The passage ended with a stone door. Kida pushed it aside. On the outside, it looked like part of the palace wall. When it closed, it was perfectly hidden . Apparently, Kida knew that the path would lead here because an empty glass globe for Atlantian fireflies was empty. Catching some, the globe began glowing with a golden light.

The air was crisp and clean, waterfalls of the gentle movements of of water were the only sounds heard. The murals that used to be underwater where exposed to the open air. We stopped where the water used to be and Kida's hand slipped into mine. The last time they had been here was when he emerged to Rourke's true plan and the entire crew had joined him, because of the promise of money.

We desended down to the murals. All sorts of events from the crystal's powers being harnessed by the Atlantians, to the wars, and the line of the royal family were displayed. It only went as far back to when the crystal came from the heaven's. It was a history of what the people called Matag Yob or the Mother Crystal. I could'nt help but wonder if Plato's account of Atlantis being ruled by the Greek god Poseidon was actually true. Or maybe more likely, the first King of Atlantis was named Poseidon. The Egyptian's thought of their Pharaoh being a host for Ra or Horus. Many religion's thought that royalty had a "divine right" to rule because they were a connection between mortals and the gods.

"Milo?" Kida broke into my thoughts."What is it?" I asked. "Would you like to see the temple of Poseidon? I have only heard tales of it from my father." "Just as long we get back before anyone notices were missing." Kida led me farther out into the ruins. The water had receded to reveal Plato's three circles, but one building was still underwater. Kida smiled coyly at me. "I think we got interrupted last time." My heartbeat sped up. The sight of her swimsuit still left me breathless. I took off the top part of my toga and followed her.

Poseidon's temple was made of marble and was not in ruins. The building was pristine. It looked like a Greek temple mixed with Atlantian influence. The top triangles had Atlantian letter symbols, flowing together line a wave of letters. The doors had a symbol of a trident on them. They were shut tight. There was a crystal slot as if for a key. Nothing happened when we placed a crystal into the slot. If anything, it sounded as if the doors were sealing themselves tighter, with the sound of groaning stone.

A jet of water from the temple blasted us backward and I almost opened my mouth. A bad idea deep underwater. I slammed against one of the pillars of the temple. Apparently, the place didn't like crystals. Kida had been pushed away by the sudden current and began swimming back. I shook my head trying to get my bearings, when my hand or something touched some kind of pressure pad. A grouping of small boulders sank towards me from one of the walls above me. I couldn't get away fast enough and the rocks more or less trapped me. I almost blacked out from the impact. My legs were sunk in some kind of mixture like wet mud. Apparently, the rocks were hollow and broke apart when they hit, releasing an underwater trap.

Kida swam over and began to help unbury me. I would drown before Kida could get me to the surface. I gave her a silent plea to leave me here. She shook her head and her crystal began to glow brighter. She started to uncover me from my watery grave faster, the crystal giving her a boost of stamina.

I began to feel the need to breathe grow stronger. When the trap was finally off me, I immediately began swimming for the surface. My head hit the temple roof. Kida laced her arms around me and swam for the surface. My vision seemed to darken. My lungs began to burn. I opened my mouth and... we broke the surface gasping for air. Kicking for the shore, we collapsed on the stones. The water had gotten off the mud, but whatever that temple was made for had a trap for intruders.

"I didn't know it would be that deep." Kida said breathlessly. "Breathing first, talking second." I took a deep breath of air. After I recovered my senses a bit, I realized we were holding on to each other in what little we wore. We were both blushing madly as we separated. "Let's never talk of this to anyone." Kida nodded still blushing slightly.

We got dressed again and Kida led me back to her hideout. Fireflies washed it in a warm glow. A waterfall fed a small pond in one corner of the place. Plants covered the walls and the floor. Kida sat down near the waterfall and I joined her. She looked scared and I had never seen her so nervous. "Milo, I wanted to talk to you about something and after nearly _drowning, _I realize what it is." Kida looked down shyly. My heart seemed to beat fater again and I felt pleasantly warm. Warmer than I had ever felt for anybody.

It was the same feeling of warmth I had with another girl who I didn't want to speak of or even remember. Except this time it was stronger than any time I had experienced it. I was falling in love with Kida. I never really thought falling in love this fast was possible, but seeing Kida sacrifice herself had caused me to feel empty and cold. "Kida, I think I know what you are trying to say and I have felt it too, when you where chosen by the crystal, I thought I would never see you again and now I realize that ..."

The world seemed to stop as we looked into each other's eyes. "I love you." They said it at exactly the same time. Kida seemed to study my face as if seeing it for the first time again. She put her forehead against mine and I leaned in. Our lips seemed to meet at the same time.

_"Jiminy Christmas!" _We just kissed. Our first kiss and she seemed to enjoy it. Her scent of the waters of Atlantis, a scent of life and wealth, filled his nostrils. Unfortunately, we had to part for air. She exhaled softly. "Yadlug." "Wow." I agreed. We walked back to the palace hand in hand, almost gliding across the stones.

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	4. Theseus's Training

**Inspiration: Atlantis was in decline when Milo and the crew came across it and instead of being like the empire we saw in the forward, it seemed like it had a warrior feel to it, underneath it's beauty. **

**Rights go to Disney.**

**"Trust your instincts, for they are nearly always right."**

_"Splash!" _A bucket of water was thrown onto me. "Get up!" The curtains were yanked back and light flooded into my room. "Was that necessary?!" "No." Thesues admitted. "You really do need to get up, though. It's going to be a long day." I dried my face and put on my toga. He led me to breakfast of some fruits and some weird insects already dead instead of alive. "You're going to need your strength today, Milo-toap. For today is when we start making you part of our family."

Afterwards, Theseus led me outside the palace and down the streets of the city. A kind of stone arena had been set up in the forest. A track, weights and even a few bars had been set up. This was the training grounds for the Atlantian army. A few soldiers were training here already. "Theseus is going to chew him up and spit him out." One said in Atlantian.

"Every warrior has a weapon of choice, an extension of your arm." Theseus led me to a stack of wooden weapons. Thesues gave me a gladius , something i'd seen in many museums. "Everyone has a warrior spirit inside them and judging by your fight against the outsider you've just scratched the surface." Theseus picked up a spatha, like my sword but with a longer reach and struck at my side. I automatically blocked the strike with my sword. Thesues stepped forward with a thrust and I sidestepped. Being lighter, meant I was faster but I had the shorter blade so I had to get in close. Theseus swept at my arm and I parried and I stepped in close. We crossed blades again and I twisted my blade, putting weight on the downward movement. Theseus's wood sword hit the ground.

You could hear a pin drop. All the warriors had stopped what they were doing and stared at me in shock, even Theseus. "What did I do?" I questioned Theseus. "Nothing wrong, Milo. I just didn't expect a novice to use an expert swordmove or defeat me so fast." He turned to the warriors. "Don't you guys have training to do besides standing like a stone statues?"

They went back to their activities. He turned towards me with a grumpy expression like he didn't know what to do with me. I get that a lot. "Usually I would train you with some targets for you to practice with, but you will probably do better with something that fights back, namely me." This time he picked up his sword with lighting speed at hit me with the flat of the blade in the stomach. _"Whap!" _The blow stung on my skin. I gritted my teeth. Theseus smiled like a predator. "_Now _your training begins."

The rest of the day passed in a sweaty round of mainly being beaten up by Theseus. "Watch your left!" _Whap! _"No, not that far up!" _Whap! _Your guard is open!" _Whap! _With each _Whap! _I knew a bruise was going to be there tomorrow. At the end of the day, I ached everywhere. "I want you here first thing in the morning tomorrow." Thesues made his way out of the training grounds. I walked back to the palace wincing at the aches in my body. Theseus wasn't afraid to bruise me up in the process.

I got clean in one of the palace baths, the cool water cascaded down over my aching back like a river of relief. The water came up to my waist and I used one of the bathing soaps the Atlantian's used. A bar of yellow rough soap that got off just about everything. The dirt and grime from being more or less kicked into the dirt washed away. I put my robes back on and went to bed. Another set of robes with a bright blue border where laid out for me. A letter was on top of them written in Atlantian.

"_Dear Milo, _

_I can probably guess that you are tired after your day of training so i'll make it short as possible. Every three days, the servants come around to wash. The robes usually come back in the morning. There is two robes for dailywear, one for your training and one for formal affairs here for you. Any questions you have will be answered by your helper Lily or me._

_From, Miya._

Apparently the robes I wore today were my training robes. I took the togas and hung them up in a makeshift line of twisted and dried vines hanging across the lines. I separated them according to use. The formal ones came down halfway from my knees, the rest were knee length. After I finished organizing my toga's I promptly fell back onto the hammock and fell asleep.

I kicked awake this time. "Get up!" Lily lifted one end of the hammock and I rolled out. "Ow!" I had dragged the blanket with me. It was about sunrise down here, the sky beginning to brighten. I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes behind a screen while Lily threw my training robes over the screen. "Hurry up, your moving like a slug!" I finally got my robes on the right way and hurried downstairs, this time it was fish meat and herbs. Apparently, Theseus was watching my diet because I didn't think I've tasted anything unhealthy since Cookie's meals.

Once we got there, Theseus was already training some new recruits. "We are on time, Milo-toap. He's just busy with the last step of training for the Army." Lily walked off in a hurry. Theseus held two stone weights in his hands. A tall stone pillar stood behind him. An arrow was embedded into a stone notch. "All right men, after today you are soldiers of Atlantis. From here on in, every man takes what he has learned here and applies it to the field. You fail this test, well... i'll see you next time." Theseus motioned towards one of the men and the soldier stepped forward. He wrapped on of the stone weights onto the recruit's right hand. "This weight represents courage." Theseus strapped on the other weight to the recruit's left hand. "This represents honor."

The man shoulder's slumped from the weight. "The first man to grab that arrow or climb above it can join the warriors of Atlantis. Begin!" The man made it only halfway before falling. The other's the same, almost or three fourth's after the last man fell. Theseus swore."Khrd! What have you morons been doing lately! Next season I want 3 reps from each and every one of you softies!" Theseus marched towards me muttering Atlantian swearwords. I took a careful step back.

Theseus gave me a sheet of papyrus listing the amount of weights and reps he wanted me to do, looking at the workouts, this would take me a total of 6 weeks to do. At least the workouts were the same. Abdominal, Back, Hamstrings, Chest, Shoulders and Biceps. Hyperextentions, Shoulder Shrug, Standing Lateral Delts, Barbell Curls, Bench Press, Horizontal Bench Curls, Leg Curl, Dips , a chin up bar and a pull up machine with an assist weight to lift the pad. "I want one hundred percent from you Milo. You're done as soon as you finish today's workout. Then two times around the track, followed by sword fighting."

Theseus had brought a water skin for me and was my spotter, pushing me to work harder. My skin started to not bruise from the sword fighting as I was getting slightly better, it also started to tan slightly from the time in the sun, until I was a pale bronze. I started to notice a difference in my build and it stopped at a swimmer's. I saw Kida from time to time, when she wasn't busy doing her duties as Queen.

Scaffolding and stones were being moved around constantly in Atlantis. Walls, homes, temples and services were slowly coming together. Stones were being quarried out of one side of the cave/mountain's image. The Atlantian army was a fast building force. The homes and services that were for the people were on top of the reconstruction list. With the crystal out above the city, it had what he had called a "Golden Fleece" effect. Fishermen had larger catches and fished in certain zones of the water and at certain times during the season. Wood came from the jungle, but it was_ rarely _taken. If a tree was cut down, the people who did it had permission from the council. Another tree was also planted in its place. Cloth came from the Atlantian silk worms that were like the worms the Chinese used to produce silk. The artisans of Atlantis were legendary, they protected the secrets of their craft with zeal. Lava was used as a heating source as well as the crystals ability to create the surface world equivalent of electricity. Lava gathering was a _hot _job. The Atlantian's who did that job were covered from head to toe in lava whale skin. The buckets were made of the same material. Atlantis was undergoing a cultural renaissance.

Kida had gotten a second tattoo, underneath her other eye in the style of the other. The marks brought attention to her eyes, making her seem more beautiful to him. The late nights and council meetings were beginning to take a toll on her. Shadows had grown under her eyes. She always had a smile for me, no matter how tired we were. In fact, seeing her for even a few moments was bliss. The King had been placed in an uncarved stone and left in the old crystal chamber. He would stay there, not above Atlantis until a new king could take his place and also provide the final touch. Master stone carvers worked on it daily.

Every day for the six weeks, I collapsed into bed feeling as if I'd done hard labor. It was always muggy here from the steam produced by the colliding water and lava. One time, Kida took me down to the lava flows and the heat was indescribable. We had taken a Atirak and flown down to the lava flows. As I guided my stone vehicle, Kida pointed out a small out cropping of rocks far from the lava. Expertly landing the craft hovered over the rocks. Kida hopped off the Atirak before I could get the chance to warn her about the heat.

"Milo, come on. A kehtuhkentem ohbensuhg egg is going to hatch." That got me out of the stone fish. The hatching of a lava whale was something I'd never seen. The lava whales were like the whales on the surface, except they swam in lava. "Coming!" I tentatively put my foot on the stones. They were cool. The falling water must make this rock as it collides with the lava, cooling it for a time until it melts back into lava. A glassy obsidian egg lay next to the lava. Kida must have been down here before since she walked alongside the lava without a care.

I was beside her when the first crack appeared. Then another. A small claw followed by a purplish head emerged from the egg. The little guy had black eyes. Once out of the egg, it dived into the lava. The little guy swam back to the shore and shook off the lava. "Obbi, that's what I am going to call you." I looked at Kida. She had the shine in her eyes that meant she had just found a new friend. Looking at the lava dog, I just _knew _it was going to be trouble.

Obbi suddenly pounced on me and began licking my face. "Get off, Get off!" The lava dog got off me and crawled onto the Atirak and yapped like he wanted to go home with us. Kida laughed. I had never heard her laugh before. It was a light, rich sound that made my heart soar. This guy was _definitely _going to be trouble.

Kida flew back to the palace, this was her first time flying and I did'nt relax until we had landed. My hands didn't unclench from the stone sides until we landed. She took off so fast, my stomach was left behind. We went right through the falls at the top of the table that Atlantis rested on. I coughed and spluttered as she rounded a aquaduct so fast that I almost got whiplash. Once we were over the water, Obbi jumped off the and dove into the water. He was covered in scales or something, so the impact wouldn't hurt as much. She then looped the loop around a ruined arch and I'll admit I screamed my head off.

She landed smoothly and I hobbled off. "That was great!" Kida smiled. Obbi emerged from the water. _"__Never again." _Right now I just needed to walk on firm ground. That was my first introduction to Obbi, Kida's pet lava dog.

After the last day of training, I got up on my own. It was early morning. After breakfast of herbs and tentacles sprinkled with a fruit juice or some kind of flavoring I walked down to the training grounds. I had beaten everyone else. Taking up the stone weights that the soldiers used in their final test, they weighed about 35 pounds each. It was the second time I saw these things and this time it was for me. Strapping on the weights, my shoulders slumped and I slung them around the stone pillar forming a rope to climb up. I took a deep breath and began to climb.

I didn't look down or up, only forward. At the task of hand. My feet lost their grip at one point and I automatically planted my feet against the pillar. That was when I realized a way to take the strain off my shoulders, witch were beginning to ache. It was almost like rappelling down a mountain slope, instead of going down you went up. Instead of using the weights to pull me up, I also used my feet. Took a lot of strain off my shoulders as well. My head hit something.

_The arrow._

I had no idea how to grab it with my hands, so I used my teeth instead to pull it out of the notch. Wood sure did taste funny. I kept climbing to the top and sat on the pillar where I had a view of the jungle, part of the palace and the city. I realized I had an audience. The warriors that hadn't made it last time looked up at me with smiles. Theseus came into the clearing and I planted the arrow in front of him. He gave me an amused glare.

I climbed down the pillar. The men clapped and cheered. I felt abashed at the attention. Theseus walked towards me and everyone fell quiet. He lifted an amused eyebrow. "Hero of Atlantis." Nobody had called me that before and here was a warrior calling me a hero. It was very surreal. Thesues produced a blade that was on his back, it was the first time I had seen him with a weapon. It was a gladius with a bronze crosspiece and leather grip. "This blade is a gift from the royal family for your acts of courage and loyalty to Atlantis." Thesues handed me the weapon and I received it as if it was important as the Shepard's Journal that led me here. It's weight was comfortable in my hand. "You are now a guard of the royal family and part of the Atlantian army. May the path of the sword lead you to know true courage." The warriors began their training again with a greater vigor. "Meet me in the cavern's of Atlantis tomorrow." Theseus told me when the warriors were no longer eaves dropping on us.

During the night, I drew the blade. The metal glimmered like fire. It was made of orichalcum. It glowed softly like a torch. I sheathed the weapon and hoped I would never need to use it. How wrong I was.

In the morning, I met Theseus near the caverns that the crew and I had traveled through on our way here. From the long path on the ground, something long and about the width of a subway car had passed by. Theseus was wearing armor made from the cave monsters that had made their homes there. "Today is when you get the material for your armor. Every Atlantian male has armor made from the first monster he defeated."

"The monster in here has been troublesome, eating lava whale eggs and their young. This creature seems to even be able to swim in the lava and avoid the larger lava whales. From the tracks, a few have said that this creature is not native to Atlantis." Theseus handed me a stone shield. "May the spirits of Atlantis, watch over you."

"Umm, do you have any idea what I am looking for?" I asked. The entrance exhaled and inhaled like a mouth, taking steam from the falls into it. Beads of moisture had already built on my skin. "I have a guess, but I hope I am wrong." Theseus stood next to the cave entrance. If this was something he did'nt want to name then I was worried.

Taking a breath to steady my nerves, I unsheathed my blade and went into the cave. The temperature was warm in the cave. Stalactites and stalagmites surrounded the cave walls. The ones in the creatures path had been broken off. The Shepard's Journal had made referances to the caves leading to Atlantis, but apparently only a few paragraph's about the ones the Atlantian's used for resources.

A droplet of water landed on my neck, making me jump slightly. _"Calm down, Milo." _I took a few breaths and began to list the facts about what could possibly lurk here. _"Warm temperature, track on the floor that looks like a slide, eats lava whale eggs and the young ones whole." _The only creature I knew of that fit the facts was a snake.

Looking at the track, no known snake was that large. A pair of eyes came out of the darkness and a dark forked black tongue flashed though the air. Fear made my muscles lock up. The eyes were the size of plates, the tongue like like a cable.

The tongue had missed me, so that was some relief. Then I realized that was how it smelled. It had scented me. I ran for all I was worth out of the caves, but the slithering noise told me the snake was right behind me meant that it was chasing me. As I exited the cave and into the sunlight, I saw what I was fighting for the first time.

The snake was as thick as a subway car, with scales that were a dull white, dented slightly as if it had seen many battles. As long as the Aqua-Evac, it's eyes were my favorite shade of blue, the same color as Kida's. As it reared up to strike, I couldn't help but admire what a fine creature it was.

It's mouth glowed red and I broke out of my trance. I rolled aside as flames blew over where I'd been standing moments before. _"No snake is supposed to breathe fire!" _I dodged as the serpent breathed fire again. This time it followed up with a bite. Somehow, I leapt over over it's strike and as it bit out a ditch in the ground, I slashed my sword at it's neck. My sword clanged off in a shower of sparks. _"__Okay, impervious skin." _

That left it's eyes or it's mouth as it's weakpoint. It had the ability to breathe fire and a paralyzing gaze. Witch I had already seen demonstrated when I first saw it and when it emerged from the cave. The snake seemed to only be able to breathe fire in the normal arc of the human head, so I had to attack from behind. I needed a distraction. Theseus had disappeared, well he did say it was my first hunt.

I continued my _"_chase_" _game with the creature, but it was only a matter of time until it got a lucky shot. I dodged another strike and the beast buried it's head in cooling lava. Now was my chance! Dropping the shield, I leaped onto the serpents neck as it struggled to free itself. When it got free, it started snapping at me, but it couldn't turn it's head completely around. It was like holding onto a bucking bronco.

Climbing to it's forehead, it's tail lashed out at me. I ducked and it soared over my head. Note to self: back is as dangerous as the front. I unsheathed my sword from it's scabbard on my back. Holding on with one hand, waiting to strike with the other. I sunk my sword up to the hilt in it's left eye when it turned it's head to the left trying to bite me.

The snake fell to the ground. It gave no twitch or scream of pain. It's death was quick. I felt sick to my stomach. The insides of the creature just _dissolved_, leaving behind an empty shell. Theseus emerged from the shrubbery and stood still as a statue. "Great Spirits!" He made a three fingered claw over his heart and pushed it away as if warding off evil. "A drakon." _"__What is a Greek monster doing here?"_

I doubled over and groaned. "Deep breaths, Milo-toap. Deep breaths." Theseus told me. It helped, a little. "What was that thing?" I asked. "A drakon. Last time we saw one of these was well, the story is older than Mantag Yob." _"__Older than the crystal?!" _The history of the crystal was in the murals that Kida had shown me. Apparently, even Atlantis had a pre-history. The crystal was proof that the spiritual and magical world that people thought of as myth were actually fact.

"What was it like before the crystal?" I asked. I had completely forgotten about my recent victory. Theseus grimaced. "Before the crystal came from the heavens, Atlantis was fought over many times for it's resources. Fighting was a way to survive. Atlantis was ruled by a series of kings but the one that was called the first king of Atlantis was a man called Poseidon. He was truly a man of the people, a master strategist, fearsome warrior, and skilled ruler at the same time."

"His brother was the worst kind of king. He was nicknamed, the cruel, the despised, and the unholy. His brother ruled over a land you call Southern Spain. He had made a copy of Atlantis, using the same three concentric circles and harbor. The war fought between Poseidon and his estranged brother Oceanus pretty much fought the biggest and bloodiest war in Atlantis's history. It lasted a year, witch in our terms is three hundred and sixty five years. Thousands maybe even millions of lives were lost in the fight between Posideon and Oceanus. Over time, war was waged between the lands Atlantis traded with, like southern Greece and neighboring islands to Atlantis."

"The final fight was between the two brothers at the very place the temple of Poseidon now stands. The fight was the stuff of legend. Trident against sword, the two brothers fought till the end. Poseidon was the better fighter and managed to stab Oceanus through the heart, only to have his brothers blade pierce his stomach. Oceanus was a very powerful magician, witch is how he used it to create monsters out of things that were already alive. Sea serpents and giant squids for example. His last words were also a prophecy, "Death is but a door, time a window. I'll be back."

"It was only during the second king's reign that the crystal fell from the sky." Theseus finished his story. "How do you know about that?" "The temple walls inside tells the story. Every Atlantian knows the tale." Theseus hefted the snakes scaly remnants. "I'll take this to the metalsmiths, they'll make something for you. In the meantime rest and relax. The celebration of sports and gaming is coming up and every member of the Atlantian army fights." I grew worried. "So is it like the Roman Colosseum? With loins, criminals executed, fighting to the death?"

"It _was _like that when the games first started, but only wooden practice swords are used and fought until disarmed." Thesues picked one end of the reptiles scaly skin and tied it to his craft. He looped it around the fish head like a lasso."It also keeps us sharp on our skills." He took off, leaving me in a cloud of dust.

I took Theseus's advice and relaxed. I changed toga's in the palace, wearing a plain white one. After a bath, I felt my tenseness from the battle wash away. Something told me that the Drakon was the least of my worries.

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	5. The Celebration of Sports and Gaming

**Inspiration: Fierce Deity Link. Nuff said.**

**Rights go to Disney and Universal pictures.**

**"Love is a battlefield." **

The days leading up to the celebration of sports and gaming were hectic. The streets of Atlantis were busier than ever, you could easily get lost down there. A section of the market had been cleared for the construction of the arena. It seemed everyone would be in attendance. The construction of the arena took about a day. It's structure was reminiscent of the Colosseum back in Ancient Rome, the top columns were topped with an egg shape leading up to a point. A pulley was set in the top to raise a cloth over the arena in case it got hot.

He also found the gardens in the jungle. Wild birds, flora and fauna grew free here. A waterfall was heard in the distance and a few warriors mediated. Finding peace in the beauty of nature eased the soul as Theseus said. It was a great place to simply take a breather from the fast paced world. Kida was settling into her role as queen and they often went to the gardens for a much needed break. Kida voiced her opinion about the council. Even they handled everyday matters, there were times when she wanted to punch the old men's faces in. Kind of how I felt about the board back when I was a linguist and boilerman. Being around her was bliss, the silence when our eyes met, her kiss that always made me go light headed.

I wish Grandpa was here to meet Kida. She was a contradiction at every turn. Kida was an amazing woman. The first time I saw her, I was surrounded by warriors. When she lifted her mask, her beauty made everything vanish. When she healed me, I thought she was an angel. Being Queen she had very few times when we could be together, a relationship like that couldn't last. Somehow though, it made our relationship stronger. Love was a mystery all right.

I didn't have my tattoos yet. I learned from Kida that her tattoo's were given to her and shaped because of achievement. That was when the crew had visited Atlantis, before I knew of the whirlwind of events that caused something inside of me to change forever. Apparently, the Temple of Poseidon was a rite of passage for Atlantians. Some simply didn't come out again.

A day before the holiday, Thesues handed me the finished armor. The armor was a gleaming stormy gray. The metal caught the light, giving it an almost coppery sheen. It looked more...battered and worn out like the owner had been pushed around a lot and that somehow fit.

Theseus placed the armor on the floor of my chamber that I now called home. "The metalsmiths had a hard time crafting the metal for your armor, when I told them it was for you they jumped to the task." Theseus was wearing a satchel on his side and produced a mask. Unlike the ones the Atlantian's used this one was smaller and only covered up the face. "Every warrior has a mask to represent them."

No fur was on the mask or armor. Leg greaves and lava whale skin boots made up the the bottom part. The leggings were a dark blue. The tunic was white as snow with a gold embroidery The war kilt and breastplate was scaly from the creature's hide, but from a distance, it looked like solid plates. The gloves and arm guards were made up of smaller scales so it fit, well...like a glove. Curved spikes came from the arm guards, except the tips were flattened and slanted backwards.

Theseus produced red and blue dyes from his satchel. "This was all I could get from the market selling dyes to make your mask." I thanked Theseus for his help and he left my chambers. I put my armor up on a stand in the corner and sat down next to a stone table that sat next to the hanging bed. The armor seemed sleeker than anything I'd seen. I decided that it would represent my sorrows and pay tribute to them. I painted the symbol for the Heart of Atlantis on my armor's left breast to symbolize what I'd failed to protect and Kida's tattoo on my right breast to symbolize my loyalty to the family that had suffered so much for Atlantis. Both of the marks were blue.

The mask covered everything except my eyes. I panted a red slash above the eyes and on the upper cheek, drawing attention to the eyes. I painted a blue slash on the cheek of the mask leaving a little bit of the mask's painted white to separate the red from the blue. I made a cresting wave pointing downwards instead of up on the masks forehead. The waves highest point reached the bridge of the mask's nose, going over the red marks leaving two crescent's attached end to end for the outer edge. I thought about filling the forehead in. but I made a V that almost looked like a U.

When I paused to admire my work on the mask, I almost made an audible gasp. Placing the mask with the armor, it made the appearance of a warrior all right and an _intimidating _one at that. The marks highlighted the empty eyes making them cold and unfeeling. You wouldn't be able to tell what he was thinking.

Putting on the mask and looking in a mirror, it showed his brown eyes making him look ridiculous. Taking the mask off, the empty eyes were unsettling. _The eyes. _He needed some way to see but still blank out the eyes. Putting on the mask and passing the king's crystal over it, he turned again towards the mirror. He did gasp for real this time. The eyes now glowed like Kida's did when she became the crystal, just a flat nothing. Putting on the armor, I was surprised that it weighed a lot less than he expected.

Facing the mirror again, he looked like a warrior. A slayer of his own personal demons, an avenger. When he smiled, just _so_ baring all his teeth, he looked positively insane. I was ready for tomorrow, whatever it may bring.

In the morning, I got dressed in my workout clothes and ate. Looking outside, the warriors were already gathering on the palace square. They wore the masks of the warriors that first greeted me and the crew. I counted a few clubs, spears, swords, and axes as weapons but they were all blunt weapons. Not that it made me feel any better. It would still hurt to get hit by one of those.

My "weapon" was more or less a blunt metal rod. Lily had given it to me and wished me good luck. Kida wasn't around as she got up earlier than me to do her tasks as queen. After breakfast, I got redressed in my armor.

When I joined the warriors down below, a few shivered. Some made a path for me. Apparently, my mask was working a bit too well. "Nice outfit." One grunted, he was dressed as a Spirit of Water. The warrior spoke admiringly instead of teasingly."You too." I added. Thesues walked out, dressed in a white toga with a gold border.

"Warriors!" Thesues called out loudly. "Todays games are in celebration of a rebrith and a victory. On the field of glory may you learn respect and courage instead of material gain or the joy of fighting. All of Atlantis is enjoying peace because of your effort's and I expect a clean game from all of you, today or ever."

We followed Theseus from the courtyard in front of the palace to the arena. Once inside the Atlantians cheered. It was like a stadium crowd back home. Then the arena fell silent. Theseus began the games by hitting a gong three times. I wacthed as a set of warriors came out to play a game of Dunok. The court was in the middle of the dusty arena. It was shaped like a triangle. The game was kind of like basketball mixed with football, with three teams instead of two. The first team that got up to seven points won. The ball was tear shaped and carried around instead of dribbled. You could only touch the ballto take it away from the guy carrying it or intercept a throw. One member of the team didn't play and was like a referee.

From the dust cloud he couldn't see a thing, but the spectators did. It was around noon when the game finished. Judging from the many bruises and fouls it was a pretty intense sport. He looked at the warriors he would be fighting against and took a breath. It was the group of warriors that Kida had with her when we first met. From the markings this group was the best warriors in Atlantis. _"Well at least my fight will be short."_

"The wind spirit against the masked warrior!" Theseus announced. A hand pushed me into the arena, witch had been cleared for the fight. A masked warrior with the design for the wind came from the other end wielding a short sword. I unsheathed my weapon and prepared my stance. The warrior charged and started to use all slashes in his fighting style. I defended or dodged his blows easily. I knocked the blade out of hand in what seemed only a couple of minutes.

One of the members from the sports teams advanced a card representing me. A white background with blue and red tribal markings. He studied the winners of the first round of fights. A warrior who used a spear, one used a ball and chain, another used a double axe. The one who was called the spirit of water used a spear and looked to be the winner. He defeated a warrior using a club in about two secounds, by jumping over the spirit of fire, his spears blunt end hitting fire in the back and knocking him to the ground. The guy was knocked almost senseless and had the spear pointing at his neck.

"The masked warrior against the Spirit of Earth!" I stepped onto the field and took a breath as the spirit entered the arena. He wielded a ball and chain that would probably hurl him across the arena or break him like a twig. It was made of leather compared to the stone ones used as a weapon. But it would be like getting hit with a heavy weight. The warrior swung his weapon at my sword and I dodged. The guy flowed through with a downward strike that made a resounding _thump_ as it hit the ground. I grabbed the chain and was pulled towards him as he flicked it in. I bounced off his chest and landed on both feet as the leather ball hit him with an _"__ooofff." _I put my sword over his neck. A clear victory of speed and agility over brawn.

_"How the heck did I do that?" _I questioned as the Water Spirit defeated a guy wielding a double axe by slicing it in half followed by a _thump _to the chest that caused the warrior to fall over. The Water Spirit was impressive using a spear. Now it was against me and him for the last act. I heard Miya's voice in the stands as I drank from a water skein to keep hydrated. I kept the mask on to maintain the mystery. "Are you crazy Theseus? Someone's gonna get seriously injured here." I looked at the stands and Theseus was in some kind of box. Miya looked worried and upset. Theseus ate a tentacle on a stick and a goblet of Atlantian wine was near him." You have to joking, this is going to be the best part."

I didn't know what that meant. I entered the arena again as Theseus signaled the last round. From the cheers it seemed the water spirit was a favorite. Then it went quite. the water spirit valuated over my head and I ducked as the warrior's spear sailed over me. I rolled underneath and came up standing as the Water Spirit turned using the spear like a bat hoping to take out my legs. I jumped over the spear and rolled behind him, using the flat of my blade to knock his leg out. Sending him crashing down, but he rolled and came up standing in front of me. "Impressive." The Water Spirit told me.

I made no reply. I feinted a stab and the warrior went forward with his spear. I turned it into a slash and snapped it in two. I kept one end in my arm and twisted the other half, forcing him to drop his weapon. I kicked it away. The Water Spirit was determined and unsheathed a long blunt dagger. I dropped the half of the spear that was in my left armpit and grabbed the weapon with both hands putting all my weight behind the strike so I could turn and cause the warrior to lose balance. The warrior toppled and I used his own dagger against him by placing my arm around his neck in a wrestler's hold but he used his free arm to elbow me in the gut and he slipped out of my hold. As he slipped away, I couldn't let blood be shed in a _game _so I dropped the blade. I kicked that aside and used my foot to spring the blade I had dropped in going hand to hand. When he reached for his dagger again it wasn't around.

I placed my sword against the warrior's neck and he admitted defeat by bowing it's head. I had beaten the crowd favorite and the people went nuts with cheers. The people seemed to like an underdog when he succeeded against all odds. The warriors pushed me to Theseus. He put a small leather band in my hair, tying it in the front on my bangs. I'd seen other Atlantian adults wear something like this to mark a victory in a celebration or sport. You could only have one.

"Milo-toap today you have won the Warrior's Path in the Celebration of Sports and Gaming. Wear you're achievement with pride for you are among the best warriors Atlantis has seen!" The rest of the hours leading up to sunset where the games ended were a blur. So many people congratulated him that he lost track. Once they left the stadium, he felt tired, dirty and sore.

The warrior's went back to their homes to rest and relax. He climbed up the plaza in front of the palace and opened a side door that led to his rooms. Taking a blue toga with a white border, he went to the palace baths. Bathing in the fountain pool, he collapsed in the warm pool waters and sat on the inner edge. He had activated the heat for the pool and steam drifted lazily around. The waters soothed his muscles. He had changed physically and emotionally into a hero.

How did the saying go? "If you ride yonder… head up, eyes steady, heart open… I think one day you'll find that you're the hero you've been looking for." Truer words had never been spoken. He had never given up the belief that Atlantis was waiting and that belief had rewarded him tenfold. He wouldn't trade any of it. As he walked back to his hanging bed, he noticed something different laying on a hallway floor.

A dagger, the dagger that he had used against the water spirit at the final round. What was _that _doing here? If didn't know better that was a threat if I ever saw one. The Water Spirit himself came from the shadows. If he chose to attack, I'd have a hard time defending myself. The masked warrior didn't attack instead took his mask off. Kida smiled at my shock. "What? Say something." My knees felt weak. I couldn't talk as she changed back into the princess I knew.

"Why did you...?" I trailed off I was too shocked. "I wanted to see for myself what Theseus had taught you." Kida tucked her armor and dagger underneath her arm. She placed it in her chambers. "Come with me, I want to show you something." I followed her deeper and higher in the palace until we stopped at a stone door with an Atlantian A symbol on each side. Kida took her crystal and placed it in the door. The A symbol glowed blue and the doors opened, revealing a lavish room that was decorated with Greek, roman, Mayan, Southwest Asia and Egyptian influences. Everything in here was made for royalty.

Purple silk covered the arch leading outside to a balcony, made so that from the outside it looked like a window. Orichalcum made up the handles to drawers and a fine white rope was hung for clothes to hang on separated for two people. A circular table made up the dining room with stone chairs with padding sat around it. Almost in the middle of the room was a large bed, situated so the breeze reached it if you wanted. The bed was made of soft blankets and pillows both were a soft blue like an ocean wave. A thick stone slab made up the base, carved with the names of the Ten Kings. The thin stuffed mattress made up where you slept.

"This is the royal chambers, where the king and queen sleep." It was the most grand room he had ever been in. Kida sat down on the bed. "Milo...I want to talk to you about something." She sat ramrod straight and wouldn't meet his eyes. She was nervous about something. "A day from now, Theseus will take you to the Temple of Poseidon and I must choose a husband or it will be an arranged marriage." The idea of Kida marring someone else made my blood chill.

"Who will you marry?" I sighed, my heart cracking slightly. "Do you love me, Milo?" She already knew the answer to that and saying it again wasn't easy. "I love you and I always will, no matter who you decide to spend your life with." Kida wrapped her arms around me. "I needed to hear that."

**Warning: T-16 segment ahead! **

She kissed him softly on the lips and he blushed. "Make a claim to me." That was something new. "What?" Kida blushed slightly and spoke softly. "A claim is when Atlantian royalty sleeps with a lower stationed member of Atlantis. Just not in the way we did." _"__Please not let be that, anything but that!"_

Kida turned slightly red as if she read my thoughts. "It's not what you think. We will however have to sleep naked together. By not having sexual relations when we are so tempted to, we show that our love isn't lust." Kida took a step back and said two words that I never expected to hear from her. "Undress me."

My hands started shaking and Kida took hold of them. "Calm down, scholar." My hands steadied a little, same could not be said for my heart. My grandpa had given me the talk and that had been embarrassing enough when I was a teenager. When I first found Atlantis, he could speak and read the language. A part of it's history was known to him, but he knew next to nothing about it's culture. Kida had grown to trust him as a friend and taught him a lot about the culture.

He had no idea how he fell in love so fast, with an amazing woman. The rest left him in the dust, but not her. She was the one. With these thoughts in mind, I untied her sarong. My hands began to shake again, but Kida helped by guiding my hands to the folds of her breast band. Soon it fell away and I tried to turn away, but my eyes seemed to be drawn back to her in some kind of illicit fascination. Kida then guided my hands and they untied the bottoms leaving her completely naked in front of me. She had the figure of a goddess, everything about her was beautiful. She took my toga off, and I covered myself.

"That means you think I am beautiful." Kida lay down on the bed and I followed her. Laying down beside her, she guided my arm to lay across her. Holding her close to me, it was a challenge not to touch her inappropriately. I looked at the ceiling, decorated with Atlantian myths. The cool breeze was soothing and Kida's scent soon had me drifting off.

When I awoke, a beautiful sight met my eyes. Kida lay beside me and awoke slowly and smiled dazzlingly. "I think we passed." She then took my hand and under the cover of cloth, guided it up and down her curves. Slowly, so I could memorize them. I blushed, but she wasn't done teasing me yet. She kissed me on the lips and opened her mouth. Her tongue tasted me and then gave way to mine. She pulled away from my side. She picked up my chin and smiled through her eyes mischievously and coyly. I blushed knowing that her thoughts weren't entirely pure. My hands were on her stomach. "You make the last move." My hands were on her upper stomach and it felt warm and smooth. She smiled and placed my hands underneath her breast's. She then let go, waiting for me to touch her. My hands moved of their own accord and she sighed softly.

She got out of bed and redressed herself. I put my toga on and we straightened the covers.

**(Done) **

We awoke at the same time. I followed her downstairs to breakfast hand in hand. Thesues was wearing a blue toga. He saw us and smiled. "Did you two have a celebration of your own last night?" Kida blushed. Theseus smiled. "I knew it."

Theseus turned towards me. "Where is your armor? You don't know what you will face this time." It was probably the most quite meal I'd ever had, the air was tense. I redressed in my armor and sheathed my sword that I had taken to calling Thalassa witch was Greek for sea. The path leading down to the mosaics inside the ruins were deserted still. Overlooking where I would dive to the temple, Theseus handed me a crystal made of orichalcum. The key to the temple. "May the Mother Crystal watch over you."

I dived for the temple wearing my armor. I was sure it would weigh me down, but surprisingly, it was like a swimming suit. Reaching the Temple, I placed the Orichalcum crystal inside the slot. The trident's glowed a sea green and the doors opened. I was sure the flood would suck me in. the temple was filled with water or something because the water stayed calm. Swimming inside, I fell to the floor with a _thump. _The doors closed behind me, a sheen of water was beyond. That was not _natural. _

The temple was like a mural. The walls showed the story Thesues had told me. A battle waged for most of the panels. A black breaded man with sea green eyes wielded a trident against his brother obviously, since they looked almost alike. His brother had black eyes instead of sea green and a sword that looked like a snake. A statue of Posideon himself stood in the middle of the the temple, made of marble. Painted so cunningly that it looked lifelike. It was at least the size of a mortal man. A trident of orichalcum was in his right hand, like a staff. He wore a sea green toga with a white border. His expression was passive, but smile crinkles told him he laughed a lot too. The artist had captured the first king of Atlantis in impeccable detail. It was like, whoever made the statue met him personally.

He heard a whinny and everything around him went white and completely silent.

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	6. The Temple of Poseidon

**Inspiration: The Seven Deadly Skills from TP and the king's final words to Milo.**

**Rights go to Disney and Nintendo.**

**"What is left behind causes you to wonder." **

He lay on a cool stone floor, cracked and dry as a lakebed. Standing up I realized where I was. In the throne room, still in it's state of slow decay. He had fallen onto one of the stones that made up the path way to the throne. The statue was still laying on the floor crying as if for the loss of the king. Instead of the blasted apart doors, they were whole and shut tight.

Turning again to the throne, a see through figure sat ghost was dressed in rusted and dented Atlantian armor. The ghost's sword was slowly decaying as was the shield. The ghost raised it's sword: a clear challenge. Leaping forward, his blade met the other and the ghost's shield slammed into him, knocking him to the ground.

The ghostly warrior spoke evenly. "A sword wields no strength unless the hand that holds it has courage." I got up. "You may be crowned King of Atlantis through marriage, but your current strength would disgrace the throne." The ghost seemed to be waiting for me to get angry and attack. I wouldn't let his words get to me.

"You must use your courage to seek power and find it you must only then will you be able to become the next king. If you wish to protect my ancestral daughter, then you will be worthy of the skills I will teach you." The floor became solid stone. "We will start with the basic Atlantian sword skills. The first is the Ending Blow. When an enemy is knocked over, he is at his most vulnerable. He may spring back up quickly if you don't act fast. The ghost leapt into the air and planted his sword so hard into the ground it cracked.

"Try it on me." The ghost advanced with his sword drawn and swung it at my arm. My instincts took over. I blocked and swept my sword at his legs sending him to the floor. I leapt into the air and brought it down into the ghost's chest. I withdrew it by leaping off and the ghost stood up, not even wounded in the slightest. "That was pinpoint strike. Now for the second skill, the shield attack."

The warrior snapped his finger's and a stone shield was on my arm. "The shield attack will break an enemy's guard, leaving an opening to attack." The ghost thrust forward with his shield. "Practice it on me." I thrust my shield forward as the ghost swung his sword and the resounding clang echoed through the room. I swung with my sword and it bit into his shoulder. "Excellent, the second skill has been passed on, now for the back slice."

"If an enemy is wearing thick armor in front, it's back is often exposed. The back slice will maneuver you around the enemy and strike from behind." The ghost rolled around in a wide circle and leapt, spinning his sword around in the air. "Show me that you can master this skill." I rolled behind him and leapt into the air, spinning my sword in a circle. The ghost hit the ground hard. "You carry yourself well, the third skill has been passed on."

"Now we have started you on the path of the sword, the other techniques that will test you to your limits. Do you wish to pass the point of no return?" I nodded. Anything to defend my home. "Very well, the next skill is called the Jump Strike."

"The Jump Strike is like a jump attack instead it draws power from your crystal. If you are facing two enemy or more, this attack will knock them back." The ghost held his sword in both hands and made like he was going to charge. The blade started to glow a faint blue and he jumped into the air. Bringing the sword down, a wide area around him crackled around him when the sword released it's power. "Attack."

I prepared to charge with my sword held at an angle and my sword began to glow brighter along with my crystal. I jumped into the air and when I brought my sword down, the ghost went flying almost the length of the chamber. "Do'nt forget this attack takes time for you to carry out and it is draining if you use it too often. The forth skill has been passed on."

"Now for a skill that will leave you at risk. The mortal draw. You must summon your courage and against every rule of swordplay, put away your sword. This will make the enemy come closer and that is when you attack." The ghost drew his sword from his shoulder and slashed violently in one stroke. "There is no defense for this, the mortal draw deals death."

"Prepare yourself." I put away my sword and when he came close enough, I struck. Drawing my sword and slashing, the ghost's breastplate was breached. "Remember this puts you at risk. The fifth skill has been passed on. Now for the Helm Splitter."

"This skill is used when enemy's are covered from head to toe in thick armor. The Helm Splitter combines the shield attack and a leap over the enemy's head. With your sword drawn, while you are airborne the enemy's helmet will be knocked off. Exposing it's straps that hold the back of it's armor in place. Using a few back slices, your enemy will be easy to defeat." The ghost demonstrated by attacking with it's shield, leaping with sword drawn. Landing on both feet and waiting a few seconds, the ghost rolled to where he was standing before and leapt into the air his sword going completely around him. _"Now he's just showing off." _

"Your turn." The ghost had heavy armor on and advanced slowly. I pushed with my shield and the ghost stumbled a bit leaping over his head with sword drawn, a smash told me his helmet had flown off. Landing on my feet, I waited until he turned then rolled behind him. I jumped and sword went around in a circle and the ghost went backward, landing face first onto the stone. My muscles were beginning to ache. The ghost got back up, undamaged as ever. "The sixth skill has been passed on, now for the final skill." The ghost gazed at empty eyes.

"Do you not feel your own courage growing with each skill? You who have been named Hero of Atlantis have proven to the spirits that you deserve that title." The last skill is draining and difficult to balance the power. The Great Spin!" The ghost drifted away and spun completely in a circle, as he did his blade became a blue beam and a wave of power came out. "Show me that you can master my skill." He divided into three. I held my sword to one side, like I would slash horizontal and imagined my crystal giving some of it's power to my sword. I yelled and spun completely around my blade emitting a blue wave that knocked the copies to the ground.

The ghost rose. "Hero of Atlantis, you have mastered the path of the sword. You who gaze to the future unclouded, you who will lead the path to peace. Surely you can lead Atlantis to a golden age. At last, I have eased my regrets of a land ruined by war and ruin." The vision turned back to white. "Go and do not falter my child!" Before I could ask what _that _meant. I awoke on the stone floor of the temple.

_"What a strange_ _dream."_ The temple was still as it was, nothing had changed. The doors hadn't opened. I began to look around. The torches blazed with a blue flame. I looked around the murals and torches on the walls. The murals made me unnerved, they were done in an ancient style but they clearly conveyed a fearsome war. From the story, the warrior's barely went anywhere without being attacked or a monster attacking them. He counted a few minotuars, drakons, sea snakes, giant squids and lobsters, like an older and smaller version of the Leviathan.

I tried feeling for a breeze and felt one coming from the center of the room. The statue was the only thing he hadn't checked. The trident appered to be notched faintly. Moving it a faint _click _of gears moving reached him. Nothing moved in the room. "_That's really clever, it's some sort of combination." _I still needed numbers or something. Feeling the trident, Atlantian numerals going from one to five were stamped onto some kind of shaft with one being the start, being that was when the trident rested on the floor. Inside the hand was some kind of gear system, cleverly hidden away by stone. The gears must be miniaturized, making it like his watch. I had no idea what the combination was and I started to look around again, maybe something would stand out. I needed to think and sat down on the stone floor. The torches and murals didn't have any sort of numbers on them, so that left the ceiling or floor. Looking at the ceiling, a series of wave patterns made the ceiling, spiraling inwards. Looking at it gave me a headache.

_"Okay, what do I know about locks?" _Usually if he got locked out of his apartment, he had a spare key or a locksmith's number on hand. Hang on. _"Gears, numbers, circles. What do they have in common? Pythagoras was a mathematician and inventor." _A little light went on in his head. The value of pi. Moving the trident accordingly he made out 31415 for the combination. The statue moved backwards, revealing a staircase that led down. _"Now that's some first rate engineering."_

The staircase led down, the stairs were lit with normal torches. I must have stepped on some kind of pressure plate or something, because the statue moved back into place behind him. The stairs led down to a chamber with a ladder leading up into the darkness. I wasn't alone though.

A large figure wearing black plate armor stood in the middle of the room. It's face was completely hidden from view. It swung it's large blade with a _whoosh. _This thing was real instead of being an illusion. The thing clanked forwards slowly, swinging it's heavy blade side to side. This thing was built for defense instead of offense. I had the feeling that this thing wouldn't tire out like he would.

I unsheathed my sword. Rolling around and leaping up my sword hit the black armor and a piece of it fell off. He wouldn't be dancing with death today. I continued my strategy of attacks and when the last piece of it's armor fell off, leaving a chainmail type armor underneath. It threw it's blade like a boomerang. "Whoa!" I jumped aside and it embedded itself in the wall. The warrior drew a slimmer sword and charged forwards. I jumped into the air and our blades met with the sound of metal against metal.

The thing used it's boot to kick me away and it's blade slashed across my chest. Thank heaven, I was wearing armor or I would've had free surgery. That would definitely bruise. I had no shield to defend myself and neither did he. The black armored warrior seemed to make up for it in speed though and began slashing wildly. I used my sword to defend and on his last swipe, the warrior used both hands to bring the sword down. I barely caught it on my blade.

The warrior pressed hard and I used my other hand on the flat of the blade. I grunted, pushing up against my enemy and he went off balance. I jumped over his head, sword extended and as soon as the edge cut touched the forehead he vanished into black dust. Leaving behind empty armor.

I landed on two feet and caught my breath. This place was testing my strength, courage and my head. I began climbing the ladder and when I entered the shaft in the rock, everything went black. I continued climbing in total darkness. It was cramped in the passage. It was a good thing I wasn't claustrophobic and still skinny. My armor made a scraping sound against the stones.

The end of the ladder came up and I emerged onto some kind of flat surface.I heard the sound of stone against stone and the passage I had come from closed off. I stepped on something and it cracked. I unsheathed my sword and it's light along with the crystal lit up what I'd stepped on. A skeleton. I'd just put my foot into a human rib cage. I had seen some skeletons on my way to Atlantis through the caverns, but this was placed here for a reason.

I lifted my sword higher like a torch and wished I hadn't. Skeleton's littered the floor. Then I realized they made up the floor. The bones swirled around each other making an elaborate dance of death. The bones were in the shape of waves and seemed to fittingly illustrate the dangers of the sea. A stone sarcophagus depicted sea storms, hurricanes, tidal waves, whirlpools, sea monsters and dangers of the deep. If the ocean had a deadly side this was it. I didn't need to be told who was in there. Oceanus.

I needed to get out of here. The hair on the back of my neck was standing straight up. A crystal slot was nearby and I used the orichalcum crystal Theseus gave me. The wall nearby slid up and sweet daylight met my eyes. The light was bright and hurt my eyes as they adjusted to the sudden illumination. I walked out and realized that I was standing on some kind of submerged stone ruin. The door slid shut behind me and flora and fauna regrew over it, making it seem like a deserted shrine to the abundant plant life.

Apparently, a series of tunnels was underneath Atlantis. If you knew them well enough, you could get anywhere. I felt lighter for some reason and looked down. My clothes had changed. I was now wearing a bright blue toga with a gold trim over the shoulder. A white sash held it in place. A deep purple was along the bottom and sides of the toga. Golden bands rested above my ankles and one was on my right wrist. A tattoo of a star within a star was on my left shoulder. The outer star was in a bolder blue than the inner star. The inner star was like the core of the entire star, powering the outer like the Mother Crystal powered and protected Atlantis.

Theseus appeared from the underbrush. He stopped in his tracks and glanced at my new clothes and tattoo. "Welcome brother!" He spoke in Atlantian and I understood perfectly, it was instinctual. I handed the orichalcum crystal back to him. On the way back, people congratulated me again and again. Kida was waiting for me in front of the palace. Obby, the lava dog was at her side. She was wearing the robes of the Queen, something she had been reluctant to do. She smiled dazzlingly at me and I temporarily forgot how to think.

"I want to talk to you about something." She whispered in my ear. Obby sniffed my leg with interest. "_I will never understand how Kida trained you to not pounce on me during social events or convinces you to stay still for that matter." _A large crowd had gathered at the palace plaza. She turned to address the crowd. "Today we have a new member of the royal family and a new member of our family. Milo Thatch, our brother." The crowd applauded and cheered. I had found a new home and family.

During the celebrations, me and Kida slipped away from the extra attention and went into her secret hideout. Getting away from Obby was another matter entirely. Kida threw a rock off to one side, and the lava dog skidded on the stones trying to get it. She sealed the stone door to the cave behind her. "I feel suffocated in this dress. I can't even run without tripping." She complained. "You look beautiful, as always." I told her. She blushed faintly. "Th-Thank you."

We sat in awkward silence. Kida's hand rested on mine. "Milo, I need to talk to you about what will happen with us." I took a breath. Kida continued, "I was to be the heir to the throne, when the king died." Kida flinched slightly. "According to the guards, he passed it to you."

"That creates a situation that must be solved." Kida fidgeted slightly. I began rambling. "I'm good at coming up with solutions and.." Kida placed her finger on my lips, effectively silencing them. "Marry me. It will insure no difficulties with ruling." I began stammering, "Marr-i-age?" Kida placed her hand under my chin and smiled in that secretive way she had. "I think we have agreed that we are in love...or do you not wish to be married?" _  
_

I would probably _never _get used to her forwardness. "Yes, I will marry you. Usually on the surface, the men ask that question." Kida smiled. "Here, both the men and women ask." "It is _still _about finding the right one though."

My nervousness gave way to happiness. "How do you get married?" I asked. "Usually, an elder or wise man calls Mantag Yob to bless the marriage, the married couple say their vows and exchange gold bands, like the one on your wrist. For the royals, we touch our crystals together. I've heard that at my parent's wedding the crystals glowed bright, then dimmed. For my mother would be taken from him."

We held hands. "I told you I am not going anywhere and that is one promise I will keep." I usally do'nt make promises, they are easily broken. Kida smiled "I guess we should make our wedding announcement official then." She kissed me and I could feel my feet leaving the earth.

As the happy couple announced their plans to be married, the tomb holding the body of Oceanus cracked with a bright red glow seeping out. A faint yet solid hand broke through the top of the tomb. For now, it would content itself with the lava flow and dark passageways underneath Atlantis. One of Atlantis's worst villains was back.

With a _vengeance. _

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